PEOPLE:Barela drives
change on
Santa Fe Dr.
and beyond

READER'S PEN:Farming and
the overuse
of precious
resources

REP VIEW:Your vote
counts in City
Council Election

The Publisher’s View” has been a mainstay column of the Profile for more than three decades. As ownership of the paper has transitioned this past month from longtime publisher Paul Kashmann to new publisher Jill Farschman, “The Publisher’s View” will remain as Paul’s long and valuable legacy, and his February 2015 farewell column will be the final one under this title.

by Susan Dugan
Born and raised in the North Lincoln Projects on Denver’s West Side, Veronica Barela – longtime president of NEWSED community development corporation (CDC) responsible for the revitalization of Santa Fe Drive – knows a thing or two about creating sustainable transformation “I grew up very poor, we were on welfare,” she says. “But Santa Fe Drive was a booming strip at the time. Back then we had three grocery stores in the neighborhood, a JCPenney, lots of retail, and access to downtown. There’s nothing wrong with growing up poor, it teaches you a lot.” A strong advocate for her four children, Barela’s mother made sure they had plenty of opportunities. “I had a wonderful piano teacher my mother found. She really liked us and gave us lessons for next to nothing. I took piano lessons for 12 years.” Her mother also instilled a passion for politics, grounded in the civil rights movement of the time. “My mother was a really strong Democrat. She loved Franklin Delano Roosevelt and, as a little kid, I used to go around handing out literature.”

On Feb. 10 at a City of Denver Board of Adjustment hearing, the owners of the Sushi Den/Izakaya restaurants requested a variance to allow construction of a 35-foot-high parking garage on South Pearl St. That garage would have three floors of parking plus the rooftop. While the current city zoning code does allow for a 35-foot height (MS-2 zoning) with no variance, it only allows two levels of parking plus the roof. The garage would stretch for 144 linear feet on South Pearl, taking place of the former Whole Cat building and existing Sushi Den surface parking. At least 10 residents/property owners from Platt Park attended the hearing and all who spoke, spoke in opposition. These included a representative from the South Pearl Merchants Association. Reasons cited for opposition were:

The Colorado Water Plan is an important process and document for all Coloradans to pay attention to. Unfortunately, James Eklund, in charge of the plan and director of the Colorado Water Conservation Board (WCB) appointed by Governor Hickenlooper, has made several serious false statements about the process and the current draft of the plan.

First, Eklund states that the process that created the draft of the Colorado Water Plan was “grassroots,” when nothing could be further from the truth. The truth is that the people who created the plan are self-appointed and purposely kept opposing anti-dam and anti-river-destruction voices from participating in the effort. A river conservation group I represent was purposely excluded from the South Platte Roundtable which wrote the plan for our basin, and a coalition that I formed – which included 18 national, regional, and local environmental groups which oppose new dams and diversions – had absolutely no (ZERO) representation on any of the state’s roundtables which wrote the plan.

On May 5, 2015, new City Council representatives will be elected to serve for a four-year term. Their decisions will directly affect you, your family, your neighborhood and your city. New district council members are expected to represent those who live within their district; at-large members represent the entire city. City Council makes laws, budgets city money, and has authority to investigate city agencies and employees. This means your vote for a City Council representative has a direct impact for you – and for where you live. Local elected officials are the closest we get to representative government within the large voting pyramid of representation in city, state and federal governments.

Austin Strasser

Rest In Peace

In place of the monthly gardening article we have chosen instead to memorialize the life and death of 3-year-old Austin Strasser. Our deepest sympathy and compassion go out to the Strasser family and everyone involved in this tragic event. You are welcome to give a donation in Austin's memory to the Sewall Child Development Center (sewall.org).
A fundraiser will be held on Tues.-Wed., March 10-11. Many of the businesses near S. University Blvd. and E. Ohio Ave. will donate a percentage of their sales over the two days to the Sewall Center, including: 730 South restaurant, Blondies Salon, Bonnie Brae Ice Cream, Bonnie Brae Liquors, Bonnie Brae Tavern, Saucy Noodle and Katherine’s French Bakery.

During my lifetime as a farmer in the San Luis Valley I have watched the Green Revolution from a front-row seat. My family tended fields throughout the industrial development of agriculture. We participated in and benefited from the mechanization of farming. Tractors and hydraulics replaced manual labor. Manufacturers made larger and more efficient farm implements. Cheap fertilizers replaced long-term crop rotations and manure. New grain and vegetable varieties produced higher yields of quality produce. We seemed to be on the verge of an agrarian utopia – and then we noticed some problems.

Denver South High School has enjoyed its partnership with Washington Park Profile over the past few years, under the conscientious leadership of Paul Kashmann and Eileen Abbattista. We would be remiss in not thanking them for their years of service to the community and wish them well in their future endeavors. We look forward to continuing this partnership and community commitment with new publisher, Jill Farschman.